High school sniper keen to join MJHL Blues

Lancers Rowswell named winner of Ed Belfour Award

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 21/5/2013 (1548 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dakota Lancers co-captain Scott Rowswell thinks he can do more, which probably explains a pretty decent body of work to this point.

In a vote by league coaches, Rowswell was named Tuesday as the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association's Ed Belfour Award winner as high school hockey's most outstanding player in 2012-13.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

mike deal / winnipeg free press
Scott Rowswell of the Dakota Lancers won the 2012-13 Ed Belfour Award as the top high school hockey player in Manitoba.

Already the Winnipeg high school hockey league's MVP, an MHSAA athlete of the week and a Dakota Collegiate athlete of the month, Rowswell is also a two-time league all-star.

And he's already looking ahead to his next challenge, the move to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and the Winnipeg Blues.

"I went last year and they were telling me, if you do well this season, you (could) play there this season," Rowswell said Tuesday at the MHSAA press conference that included the announcement of 12 high-school scholarship winners. "It's been going on and on."

The ongoing feedback from the Blues has been helpful, said Rowswell, who scored 39 goals and 59 points in high school games this season.

"For me, it was always score a lot of goals," he said. "That's my thing. I like to score, so just doing that, you want to be up there and hopefully get noticed.

"They said just be out there, dynamic."

Blues coach and GM Don MacGillivray said Tuesday that Rowswell joining the team is "in the cards."

"He's really improved in the last year," MacGillivray said. "He's got a knack around the net, knows how to score. And he's gotten stronger and quicker."

To show their serious interest and also to have a look, the Blues used Rowswell in a late-season game in the MJHL season.

He scored two goals and had an assist against Dauphin.

The jump will not be all that unusual, said MacGillivray, who had high school hockey grad Liam Bilton on his team for the 2012-13 season.

Rowswell's immediate future includes training for the fall jump in leagues, but not likely by playing any hockey.

"I have actually never played spring or summer hockey," he said. "Nor worried about it. Never done it. I just usually play street hockey with my buddies.

"I just love playing hockey. If I had the chance to play spring hockey, I would."

While his off-season icetime may be low, he said he's serious about his training.

"Four times a week, two workouts, three workouts, then runs," he said. "I really want to keep in shape for training camp."

And while Rowswell looks down the road, it's also the point of the year to reminisce about the school year.

"By playing hockey, I can be with all my friends, and going through high school with your friends is the most important part," he said Tuesday.

"Leading in high school, being part of my school, representing them, hearing that I can do something for them, (bring) trophies to the school, stuff like that, it's good."

High school hockey players Natasha Esquivel of Dakota and Jacob Heapy of Rivers/Elton Collegiate won $1,000 scholarships from the Winnipeg Jets Alumni and Friends.

Taylor Lafreniere of Kelvin recevied a $1,000 scholarship as the winner of the Sami Jo Small Award.

Kyler Allard of Dauphin received a $1,000 scholarship as the winner of the Ken "Friar" Nicholson Award.

Leah Olson of Fort Richmond earned a $500 high school hockey scholarship as winner of the D'Arcy Ban/Fred Stevenson Award.

Krista Stuhldreier of Dakota and Jacob Heapy of Rivers each received a $2,000 scholarship as winners of the Alexander Josephson Memorial Scholarships, given to male and female high school hockey players.

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